New geological insights on “Fiano di Avellino DOCG” terroir

AbstractThe geological features of a terroir have always been recognized as active components of the territory that, along with weather and vine variety, celebrate the development of the typicalness (Van Leeuwen & Seguin, 2006). As a matter of fact, the most difficult challenge is the correct conjugation of these variables for each specific terroir. Campania Region hosts prestigious terroirs, the most famous interesting the Irpinia area.The main goal of this investigation is to find some correlation between the geological context of the cultivation area and the development of both the grapevine and wine quality. The case study accounts for the Lapio (Avellino province) territory hosting the famous DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, in English) of Fiano di Avellino (Mercurio et al., 2016) on an area of about 2 km2. The Fiano di Avellino grapes, claiming very old origins, became anampelographical rarity in the seventies of the last century. Actually, Lapio district represents a reliable example of the relationship between wine production and territory development.The main geolithological features show Neogene siliciclastic deposits in about 2/3 of the studied territory, hereafter shortly described:- alternations of unsorted brownish sandstones with greyish marly clays and conglomeratic levels (Castelvetere Fm.);- yellowish massive silty clays with greyish-yellowish arenitic and gypsum-derived siltstones intercalations (Altavilla Fm.);- coarse grained litho- bio-clastic limestones, usually arranged as regular beds (Flysch Rosso Fm.);- alternation of brownish silty-sandstone layers and blue-greyish clays thin beds (Castelvetere Fm.);- coarse grained clast-supported polygenic conglomerate banks with intercalations of sandstones (Baronia Fm.);- alternations of varicoloured (reddish, greenish, greyish, purplish) marls and clays with thin and very thin fine grained limestone layers (Flysch Rosso Fm.).Quaternary pyroclastic deposits (ash and pumice fall layers) related to the Neapolitan volcanic district sometimes blanket portions of the investigated area.Soils developed on sedimentary substrates are mostly formed by calcite, mica, chlorite, illite/smectite, plagioclase and quartz; subordinately by smectite, dolomite and iron oxides. Volcanic soils are mainly constituted by K-feldspar, plagioclase, mica, clinopyroxenes, and leucite; quartz, smectite and iron oxides also occur in minor amounts.The above described multidisciplinary evaluations in the Lapio area encourage a further deepening of the relationship between geology and wine.